“Better not try to talk too much now,” Sally advised kindly. “How did you get into the water?”
The question aroused Penny, bringing back a flood of memories. She suddenly realized that she was in Sally’s cabin on the River Queen and the ferry was moving.
“Where are we?” she asked.
“You’re safe,” Sally said soothingly. “You were swimming in the river. We nearly ran you down. Lucky I saw you just in time and we picked you up.”
“Yes, I know,” Penny agreed. “But where are we? Near the Harpers?”
“Oh, no, we passed their place long ago. We’re far upriver.”
Penny struggled up, swinging her feet out of the bunk. She saw then that she was wearing a pair of Sally’s pajamas, and that her own wet garments hung over a chair.
“We must turn back!” she cried. “Tell Captain Barker, please! Oh, it’s vitally important, Sally!”
Sally was maddeningly deliberate.
“Now don’t get excited, Penny,” she advised. “Everything will be all right.”